Process for the treatment of chlorinated hydrocarbons



United States Patent 3,209,040 PROCESS FOR THE TREATMENT OF CHLOR-[NATED HYDROCARBONS Nestor Daras, Ixelles-Brussels, and Andr Ryckaert, Uccle-Brussels, Belgium, assignors to Solvay & (lie,

3,209,040 Patented Sept. 28, 1965 to a temperature such that the content of water dissolved in the chlorinated hydrocarbons is appreciably reduced, separating the aqueous phase from the organic phase and recovering the purified chlorinated hydrocar- 5 bon substantially dry. The applicants have made the z fgiz gg k gg Nata-2,962 surprising discovery that the esterification of the oxida- Claims priority, application Netherlands, Sept 15, 196.1, tron products contamed 1n the chlorinated hydrocarbons, by means of a polyol, is carried out more easily than the 6'Claims. (Cl.260654) hydrolysis at the same temperature, It leads to the The present invention concerns a process for purifying 10 formation of esters which are unob ectionable in rechlorinated hydrocarbons from their oxidation products, spect of the stability of the chlormated hydrocarbons and particularly trichlorethylene and perchlorethylene, and hydrogen chloflde; 1f aqueousfolutlofls P9 Y are the purified hydrocarbons obtained by this process. 156d, e y g chloflde 1S readlly ellmlnated by It is known that under the action of oxygen, chlorinpassing into the aqueous phase. The best results are ated hydrocarbons, particularly trichlorethylene and obtained by operating at a temperature between 50 and perchlorethylene, undergo a certain amount of decompo- 80 C. sition which is catalysed by various agents such as light, After the separation of the aqueous phase, if the chlorheat and certain metallic salts, for example those of iron. inated hydrocarbons recovered are free from injurious The oxidation products thus formed themselves exert an oxidation products, they must nevertheless be freed from auto-catalytic eifect on the velocity of the decomposition water dissolved therein in the course of the esterification, process. This is the reason why it is now the current This result could be achieved by cooling the chlorinated practice to add stabilisers to the said chlorinated hydrohydrocarbon up to the temperature corresponding to the carbons to prevent their decomposition or to fix the dedesired saturation with water, then removing the aqueous composition products. Certain oxidation products of phase which separates. chlorinated hydrocarbons can react with the usual stabilis- The applicants have found that by cooling the chlorers for chlorinated hydrocarbons, thus prejudicing the inated hydrocarbons in contact with the solutions of effectiveness of the said stabilisers. 7 It is thus necessary polyols at temperatures of the order of 20 to -10 C., to eliminate these oxidation products before adding the the content of water dissolved in the purified chlorinated stabilisers. hydrocarbon recovered after elimination of the aqueous While certain of these products, among others hydrophase, is lower than that corresponding to saturation in gen chloride, phosgene, chloral, and the chlorides of diwater at that temperature. Thus, in cooling to 5 or 0 or tri-chloracetyl, are easily extracted by washing with C., for example, a hydrocarbon is obtained of which the water or with an alkaline solution at ambient tempera-. water content corresponds to saturation at 5 or 10 ture, others on the other hand, notably the epoxides of C., that is to say to contents generally admissible in comtrichlorethylene and perchlorethylene, resist such treatmercial products. This shift of the temperature clearly ment and are only hydrolysed at a very low rate, even evidences the existence of a pronounced drying eifect due by alkaline solutions at boiling temperature. to the polyols.

An object of the present invention is a process of The polyols employed must be very slightly soluble in purification which permits the elimination and/ or neutrathe chlorinated hydrocarbons; glycols and glycerol are lisation of substantially all the. oxidation products .conparticularly suitable in this respect. tained in the chlorinated hydrocarbons. Other objects As certain oxidation products are particularly resistant will appear from the following. to hydrolysis and to esterification, the applicants have The applicants have now found that these oxidation found that it is especially advantageous to use an alkaproducts can be eliminated and or neutralised by esterifyline aqueous solution of glycol or glycerol. ing them by means of an aqueous solution of a polyol. In the examples referred to in Table I below, the con- Thus the process forming the object of the invention tents of oxidation products are expressed in HCl liberaconsists in esterifying the oxidation products of the table by complete esterification. After esterification, the chlorinated hydrocarbons such trichlorethylene and permixtures are brought back to room temperature and the chlorethylene by putting them in intimate contact with aqueous phase is separated by decantation. In the course an aqueous solution of a polyol at a temperature beof the treatment, the volumes of chlorinated hydrocarbon tween 20 and 110 C., cooling the mixture thus obtained and of aqueous solution used are equal.

Table 1 Initial Final con- Hydrocarbon content of Duration Temp, tent of treated oxidation Washing solution of mixing, 0. oxidation products, mins. products, percent H01 percent H01 Trichlorethylene. 0. 00125 30 20 0. 00070 0. 00125 15 00 0. 00050 0. 00125 30 e0 0. 00020 0.00108 30 20 0. 00030 0. 00125 15 00 0. 00010 0. 00125 30 00 0. 00000 0. 00125 15 00 0. 00020 0. 00125 30 00 0. 00000 Perehlorethylene. 0. 00310 30 20 0. 00247 0.00310 -do 30 a0 0. 00230 0. 00203 Glycol, 30% y 30 20 0.00180 0. 0015s .do 30 so 0. 00054 0. 00225 N/2 NEnoI-I 30 0. 00090 0. 00225 (Glycol, 30% by weight N/2 30 80 0. 00035 NH4OH). 07 00225 N/2 NH4OH 00 so 0. 00040 0. 00225 (Glycol, 30% by weight N/2 00 80 0. 00000 NHOlH).

Table 1 permits comparison of the evolution of the oxidation products in the samples of trichlorethylene and perchlorethylene treated on one hand by water and on the other hand by aqueous solutions of glycol and glycerol.

The samples of trichlorethylene and perchlorethylene are treated with aqueous solutions of glycol and glycerol at the respective temperatures of 60 and 80 C. to eliminate the oxidation products. The mixtures are then cooled to the temperatures indicated in Table 2 below. The final water contents of the hydrocarbons, after separation of the aqueous phase in the cold, are determined by the Karl Fischer method.

Table 2 TRIOHLORETHYLENE Polyalcohols Initial water Cooling Final Water Corresponding content, rug/kg. Percent by Tempcra- Content, Saturation weight Type ture, C. nag/kg. Temperature, 0.

Concentn.

720 30 10 58 +12 352 80 10 39 20 720 Glycol 30 82 4 352 80 0 58 12 352 80 +20 98 0 696 40 l0 53 ---14 400 80 40 20 096 Glycerol 40 0 82 4 400 80 0 68 7 400 80 +20 130 +6 PERCHLO RETHYLENE Glycol 198 80 0 15 +17 198 80 +20 20 11 Glycerol 390 40 +20 41 +2 225 80 +20 28 5 1 MaeGovern, Ind. Eng. Chem. (1943) p. 1236.

As the weight proportions of water and oxidation products in the chlorinated hydrocarbons submitted to treatment are in general very small, the polyol solutions can be used for a long time without having to be regenerated. Their regeneration can be brought about by any method known as such.

We claim:

1. A process for treating a chlorinated hydrocarbon which comprises intimately mixing a chlorinated hydrocarbon containing epoxide thereof with an aqueous solution of a polyol selected from the group consisting of glycol and glycerol at a temperature of about 20 C. to 100 C. to esterify said epoxide, said chlorinated hydrocarbon being selected from the group which consists of trichloroethylene and perchloroethylene, cooling the mixture thus-obtained to a temperature below that of said mixing step, to a temperature of the order of -10 C. to 20 C., so that the content of water dissolved in the chlorinated hydrocarbon is appreciablly reduced, separating the aqueous phase from the organic phase, and recovering the chlorinated hydrocarbon substantially dry.

2. A process according to claim 1 wherein said aqueous polyol solution is mixed with said chlorinated hydrocarbon at a temperature of about C. to 80 C.

the thus-obtained mixture to a temperature not exceeding about 20 C. so that the content of water dissolved in the chlorinated hydrocarbon is appreciably reduced, separating the aqueous phase from the organic phase, and recovering the chlorinated hydrocarbon substantially dry.

6. A process according to claim 5, wherein said esterification is carried out at a temperature between 60 C. and C. and said mixture is cooled to a temperature between 20 C. and 10 C.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,160,632 5/39 Yabrofi et al 260652 X 2,186,398 1/40 Yabroif 260-652 X 2,212,107 8/40 YabrOiT 260652 X 2,495,440 1/50 Britton et al. 60478 OTHER REFERENCES Wagner et al., Synthetic Organic Chemistry, Wiley and Sons (New York, 1953), pp. 480-482.

LEON ZITVER, Primary Examiner. 

1. A PROCESS FOR TREATING A CHLORINATED HYDROCARBON WHICH COMPRISES INTIMATELY MIXING A CHLORINATED HYDROCARBON CONTAINING EPOXIDE THEREOF WITH AN AQUEOUS SOLUTION OF A POLYOL SELECTED FROM THE GROUP CONSISTING OF GLYCOL AND GLYCEROL AT A TEMPERATURE OF ABOUT 20*C. TO 100*C. TO ESTERIFY SAID EPOXIDE, SAID CHLORINATED HYDROCARBON BEING SELECTED FROM THE GROUP WHICH CONSISTS OF TRICHLOROETHYLENE AND PERCHLOROETHYLENE, COOLING THE MIXTURE THUS-OBTAINED TO A TEMPERATURE BELOW THAT OF SAID MIXING STEP, TO A TEMPERATURE OF THE ORDER OF -10*C. TO 20*C., SO THAT THE CONTENT OF WATER DISSOLVED IN THE CHLORINATED HYDROCARBON IS APPRECIABLY REDUCED, SEPARATING THE AQUEOUS PHASE FROM THE ORGANIC PHASE, AND RECOVERING THE CHLORINATED HYDROCARBON SUBSTANTIALLY DRY. 